She's not afraid (One Direction/Selena Gomez)

chapter 9

Pained look tightened Louis's face: "Well, it was..." a deranged sigh falls from his lips, his expression thoughtful, "we don't have any family, I mean...we lost our families at young age, so we were raised in orphanage. Your father and grandfather spotted us there. Then somehow tested our abilities. I didn't even know that they were doing it. And when we proved ourselves to be worthy enough, they took us in and trained us to become, what we are today. "

I take his hand in mine and with my fingertips softly drawing circles on his palm in soothing manner. My heart aching for those guys, my voice turn soft a whisper almost: "I'm sorry...but if it's not too much, what happened to your families? And were you all in the same orphanage?"

His body seemed to harden, as his sorrowful eyes meet mine: "Yes we were." He pauses, his brow furrowed, as if nightmare rushed over his thought. Louis sighs heavily moments later, looking into my eyes full of pity: "My parents were killed in car crash when I was 6, but to be honest they didn't care about me that much. I was an accident. I know that Liam and Niall were brought there when they were just a few months old. Zayn had abusive father and he died because of overdose when Zayn was 9, and what happened to Harry no one knows."

"I'm sorry Louis, I really am and thank you for telling me this." I briefly hug him and kiss his cheek. I have nothing but respect and admiration for those boys now, and yet about Harry I know nothing.

"Don't be, it was long time ago." The faint trace of a smile lightens his face. Silence falls over us, as we take the moment to process spoken words. I play with my fingers that resting on the table.

Louis all of a sudden asks: "What happened between you and Tyler?"

A flash of memory, causes my breath to stagger. I take a second to shape my scattered thoughts and then quietly murmur: "We...I...I was never a popular kid in high school. I mean I wasn't totall looser, but somewhere in the middle, you know." I gaze up at him: "Tyler was popular. And every girl wanted him, naturally so did I." I snort and shake my head, "I had massive crush on him..." I pause to catch my breath. Glancing around, I find Zayn sitting next to me. My eyes widen in surprise.

...How didn't I notice him there? When did he actually come in the dining room?...

"Don't stop on our account." Zayn said.

I raise my eyebrows with confusion, as my eyes maneuver to match a face with other intruder. I take notice in Harry's tall body, occupying a chair next to Louis. My heart struggles inside of me, as panic rushes through my veins. There is complete silence, as they are anticipating my response.

...I can't tell them the truth, not entire anyway...

I purse my lips, gazing at Harry's eyes for a very quick second. His eyes watching me with interest, intensity that green portraying burned my heart. I shake my head softly, as large puff of air left my mouth: "Well one day he began to talk to me. Out of all more beautiful girls in the school, he talked to me! He had noticed me, he wanted me, out of all the rest I was the one he chose." I snort with a chuckle, "look at me I'm nothing special, I'm not that beautiful, but he, this really hot popular guy took interest in me."  I drop my gaze, as I'm mumbling, "at first I was scared that I won't be good enough for him. But he somehow convinced me that I was all he needed. I believed him, I really did. He was so nice, and for the first time I felt like somebody cared for me. We had so much fun together. He made me feel loved, safe, happy, just alive, you know? I really thought that he loved me, but I was wrong. Good Gandalf, so wrong. He was just doing all of that because of some stupid bet...I didn't know for that bet till one party..." My breath shaking as I inhale deeply.

Zayn's hand patting my shoulder soothingly. Louis's voice is serene, a counterpoint to my anxiety as he speaks: "It's okay Juliet, take your time, and if you need to cry we are here."